President Zourabichvili Questions Collection of Personal Data in Schools; Ministry Responds
By Liza Mchedlidze
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
On October 14, President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili took to social media to express concerns about schools allegedly asking children to provide their parents' personal data. "If schools ask children for such data, this is a violation of personal data! A child should not give his parents' personal number! The identification of these schools is interesting!" Zourabichvili wrote.
In response, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Youth of Georgia refuted the President's claims, stating that the accusations that children's personal data is being collected for specific purposes "is a lie and does not correspond to the truth." The Ministry described the distribution of such disinformation as "a deliberate action aimed solely at discrediting the education system."
The Ministry explained that schools periodically update contact information for parents or legal representatives, including phone numbers, email addresses, and residential addresses. This practice is intended to ensure "quick and easy communication with the parent/legal representative, if necessary."
They emphasized that the collection, storage, processing, analysis, and administration of data within the general education management information system complies with the requirements of the Law of Georgia "On Personal Data Protection." The system is authorized to receive and use personal data from other public entities under the Ministry's jurisdiction.
The Ministry urged individuals to refrain from spreading misinformation, stating, "We call on specific individuals to refrain from spreading disinformation, which serves to deliberately mislead the public."
